The Russian Correctional SystemBy Jason Segal

University of New HavenNovember 2011

General Statistics• 888,200 people incarcerated in Russia in 2007

• About 90% of those incarcerated are adult males

• 64,100 (5%) of them are women and the remaining 5% are

juveniles

• Ministry of the Interior oversees all correctional facilities in

Russia (1000+)

Health problems• Prior to its collapse, the Soviet Union had been able to

hand the spread of disease in prison but with its collapse came a collapse of its health and economic system

• In 1997,infectious diseases, particularly Tuberculosis accounted for 49.2% of deaths in prison and Cardiovascular diseases accounted for 18.2% of prison deaths.

• Inmates were/are also at high risk of contracting the HIV/AIDS virus

• In 2002 to the death rate of infectious diseases decreased to 27%. The death rate for those killed by cardiovascular diseases increased to 32%.

Health Issues Continued• In 2002, 11% or 96,915 convicts were diagnosed with having a drug dependency

• 7% or 61,579 convicts, were confirmed to be alcoholics

• 14% or 120,517 convicts, were diagnosed to have psychiatric diseases

• By 2005 there were over 37 hospitals and 57 treatment centers that provided care for Russian inmates

Women in Prison• There were 64,100 female inmates in 2007 which is higher than the European

average

• Only 46 of Russia’s 746 prison facilities accommodate women

• Main goal for female prisoners is to not lose their femininity while incarcerated– Inmates get to compete in beauty pageants in front of other inmates and judges

• Get more benefits than men – Women with children get to keep up to 50% of the money they earn, while prisons hold the

right to take all of it for male inmates.– Female facilities provide nurseries for women with children under 3 years old– Women can get their sentences reduced or suspended if the sentence was five years or under if

they have children who are younger than 14 or if the woman is pregnant

• Maximum security prison that holds 700 convicts – Chechen terrorists, serial killers, rapists, pedophiles

• Isolationism, cell within a cell– Inmates are not allowed to sit in their cell for 16 hours after waking up

• Prisoners escorted in a stress position and followed by a guard dog while being moved

• http://natgeotv.com/se/inside-russias-toughest-prisons/videor/black-dolphin-prison

Black Dolphin

Prison Camps• Siberia is home to 147 Prison camps

– Most of these camps are located close to the Trans-Siberian Railway

– Many first time offenders find themselves at these camps

– Temperature could be as low as -50 degrees Fahrenheit– Inmates provide cheap labor for Siberia

• Mandatory exercise time at 6 A.M. which is designed to wake inmates up for the day ahead

• Inmates who do not follow the rules are forced to stay in specials cell where the beds fold into the walls and stay there until night time

Reform• Russia had the highest imprisonment rate in the world in the 90s but a major legal

reform in 2000 reduced the number of inmates incarcerated by 200,000

• Millions of dollars have been poured into the system to help raise the conditions to match that of the rest of Europe

- Prison libraries have been introduced with access to legal information so the inmates can review the sentences or file an appeal - New prison jobs have been created to increase the number of inmates working closer to the number found during the Soviet Union era.

• The number people killed by infectious diseases have decreased significantly

• Televisions are now allowed in cells in more and more prisons

• Russian Orthodox priests now provide counseling for inmates

• Programs have been set up to raise the education level of inmates, thus helping them find employment upon release

• It is important to note however, that rumors and accusations of prisoner abuse still surfaced today

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrqaWiicr-8

Reforms Continued

References1. Avert.org. (2011). Tuberculosis. Retrieved from Avert: http://www.avert.org/tuberculosis.htm2. Bobri, A., Danishevski, K., Eroshina , K., & McKee, M. (2005). Prison Health in Russia: The Larger

Picture. Journal of Public Health Policy, 29. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/4498905?seq=1&

3. Bowring, B. (2009). Russia and Human Rights: Incompatible Opposites? Göttingen Journal of International Law. Retrieved from http://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/785/2/785.pdf

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5. Kalinin, Y. I. (2002). The Russian penal system: Past, Present and Future. Retrieved from http://www.hawaii.edu/hivandaids/The_Russian_Penal_System__Past,_Present_and_Future.pdf

6. Life behind bars: see inside Russia's toughest prison. (2007). Retrieved from http://rt.com/news/prime-time/life-behind-bars-see-inside-russias-toughest-prison/

7. Moran, D., Pallot, J., & Piacentini, L. (2009). Lipstick, lace, and longing: constructions of femininity. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space.

8. Piacentini, L. (2004). Penal identities in Russian Prison Colonies. Sage Journals Online. Retrieved from http://pun.sagepub.com/content/6/2/131.full.pdf+html

9. Rodzinski, A., Pietrzyk, M., & Mozgovoy, F. (Producers). (2011). Inside: Russia's Toughest Prisons [Motion Picture]. Retrieved from http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xkd4xy_russia-s-toughest-prisons-documentary-2011_shortfilms

10. Shukshin, A. (2011). Tough measures in Russian prisons slow spread of TB. Bulletin of the World Health organization.